This Time Around
by cherrygurl1225
Summary: A mysterious woman asks for Tru's help. And this woman has close ties to someone Tru failed to save... CH 6 UP! COMPLETE.
1. Chapter One

**Tru Calling: This Time Around **

Written by Cherrygurl1225

**Rating: PG-13**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Tru Calling characters or any of the dialogue I may borrow from the show. But it's nice to dream, right?

**Historian's Note: **This story takes place after the season finale of Tru Calling.

**Author's Note: **I've gotten some requests from reviewers so here it is: This is the sequel to Not Everything. So for those of you who haven't read that story yet, I highly recommend you do since I will be making references to it and there are some 'spoilers' in this fic pertaining to Not Everything. Thanks and happy reading!

**Chapter One**

The desolate halls of the city morgue were dimly lit, as Tru Davies made her way into the Standards Room that night. Everything around her was quiet; the world almost seemed at peace around her even though she knew it wasn't. The only audible sounds she heard were the rhythmic clanking of her boots each time they came in contact with the floor and her breaths, each time she inhaled and exhaled.

That's how quiet the morgue was that night and the quietness chilled her to the bone. After several months of working there, she thought she could get used to the eerie quietude. But she never had. She never would. It seemed to settle in around her like a thick fog, enveloping her into its malevolent grasp.

She pushed the door to the Standards Room open and walked inside. She instantly noticed a body lying on the hard, metal table in front of her. Impulsively, she thought about calling for Davis and wondered why he wasn't already in the room bagging the personal items and carefully inspecting the fallen victim.

However, she decided to ignore her impulses as curiosity engulfed her body. She slowly made her way towards the table and looked down at the victim.

At first she stared in an almost riveted fashion at what she saw. She blinked her eyes rapidly and repeatedly for a few moments before letting out a huge gasp.

How could this be? Was her mind playing tricks on her? What was going on?

Suddenly, she heard a faint chuckle come from behind her. She turned around slowly only to find Jack Harper standing in the doorway, a slow ironic smile crept over his face as his dark eyes focused sharply on hers.

She didn't say anything. She couldn't bring herself to utter a single word. She just continued to stare at him and stood her ground.

Suddenly….

"Tru."

She heard the voice call to her; she tore her gaze away from Jack and towards the body on the table.

She watched as her mother's head turned towards her.

"You can't let him win."

Outside, the rain began to come down more heavily on the pavement and the thunder rose to a loud crescendo…..

Thunder crashed in the sky above and the rain continued to come down in buckets.

Tru rolled over in her bed. It was almost mid-morning now, although it didn't seem that way due to the crappy weather outside.

Remembering her dream, her eyes instantly snapped open and she sat up in bed, covered in a cold sweat. These dreams didn't happen too often, but whenever they did it always gave Tru quite a scare.

Jack was there this time and her mother—her mother was the one—her mother was the fallen victim lying on the table. And she had uttered the same words that Harrison had when he had experienced his brush with death.

What did that mean? What exactly was her mother trying to tell her? Well, she already knew the answer to that one. Her mother was telling her that she couldn't let Jack win; she couldn't let any more innocent victims die. It wasn't their time yet. Just like her mother. It wasn't her mother's time to die either.

But Tru knew that every time she had saved a victim—or even lost one—that she was risking her own life. She knew this now more than ever. Not only because of Jack, but because she had lost Luc and Sabrina. She had even gotten shot in her resolute attempt to save the beautiful aspiring Olympic gymnast.

Still shaken from her nightmare, Tru laid in bed, lost in deep reverie.

It was the shrill ringing of her telephone that brought her back to reality.

She reached over and grabbed the phone, putting the receiver to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"Rise and shine, sis!" chirped the voice at the other end of the line. "Hey, what's the matter? You sound a little freaked. This wouldn't happen to be one of those oh-so-wonderful rewind days of yours, would it?"

"No, Harry. Just a bad dream," Tru replied. She paused momentarily before adding, "It was about mom. She said exactly what you said when you asked for my help and it just really scared me."

"Huh, talk about déjà vu," Harrison said. He really didn't know how to respond to that. The death of Tru's mother had a devastating effect on everyone, especially Tru. And so did his brush with death. Harrison was truly at a loss for words.

"So what is it you really called about, Harry?" Tru asked, bringing her brother out of his own daydream.

"Oh yeah, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to cancel on our little breakfast get-together this morning. I've got some—uh—very important business to attend to."

Tru couldn't help but roll her eyes. This was just so typical of him. "Otherwise, known as a breakfast _date_?" she questioned sarcastically.

Harrison flinched at his sister's response. "What are you, a psychic now?" he answered smartly.

"No, just call it a hunch."

"Well, I gotta get going. I wouldn't want Kelsey to get the wrong impression. See ya later, Tru."

Tru smiled. "Bye Harry."

She was happy to see that her brother was dating again. Lindsay had played such a big role in his romantic life and now Tru thought it was best that he move on. She knew Lindsay would always have a special place in his heart. She meant so much to him. But that was all in the past.

Tru carefully returned the phone to its cradle and looked out the window at the dismal scene presented before her, as large droplets of rain pounded the dirty pavement below.

The rain had cleared up when Tru arrived at Harrison's apartment later that night. She figured she'd better bring him some dinner and talk things out with him. He really needed the support at this time in his seemingly hopeless love life of his. Plus, dinner probably wouldn't have been able to fit in his budget anyways. Especially if he had actually _paid _for his date's breakfast that morning.

When Tru's bright red car pulled up to the long row of apartment buildings, she noticed an ambulance with paramedics working busily at the grim scene.

She parked her car and went up to a paramedic and inquired about it. He gave her a puzzled look and was taken aback for a moment, until she flashed her Morgue I.D. in front of his face.

Apparently, a young woman found dead in her apartment not too long ago. Someone had heard the shot ring out and immediately called for help. Unfortunately, the victim's killer had escaped before the police and paramedics arrived. Now they were in hot pursuit for the killer. And that was that.

Tru immersed herself more closely into the grim scene. She spotted the beautiful deceased woman laying on a gurney. There was a large bullet wound that was deeply embedded inside her chest. Her face was ashen now, with hardly any color on her once seemingly rosy cheeks. Her hair was a beautiful dark chestnut brown and she looked a little taller than average and was fairly well-built.

Tru noticed paramedics digging through the woman's purse in search of some form of I.D. Finally, they found her driver's license. The glare from a flashlight held by another paramedic blinded Tru for a moment and then she saw the name on the license: Caitlyn Williamson.

No, it couldn't it? She looked back at Caitlyn and instantly recognized the similarities. She looked at the license again, making sure she wasn't just imagining all of this. Was she really….

"Don't leave."

Unexpectedly, the woman's head turned in Tru's direction and her big brown eyes stared straight into Tru's.

"Save me."

_Here we go again....._

To be continued……

**Author's Note:** Well, that's all for the first chapter! What do you think of the sequel so far? Constructive criticism is always welcome. PLEASE REVIEW!

More coming soon….


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

The day rewound almost instantly with images of the day flashing backwards in a speedy fashion, causing Tru to find herself bolt upright in her bed once more. Her heart was pounding inside her chest and she took a moment to catch her breath before reflecting on the previous day. Or, rather, the day that hadn't happened yet…. At least not yet….

_Caitlyn Williamson? Like Sabrina Williamson? So are they..... sisters?!_

Well, that would definitely explain their resemblance to one another.

Without wasting another moment, Tru jumped out of bed, showered and dressed. She was just about to leave her apartment when the familiar ringing of her phone stopped her in her tracks.

"Hello?"

"Tru, listen, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to cancel on our little get-together this morning. I have—…"

"A breakfast date?" Tru interrupted. "Yeah, about that. Not today."

"What do you mean—uh, it's one of those days again isn't it?"

"'Fraid so, Harry."

"This can't just wait until I'm not going out with the hottest girl on this side of New York City?!"

Tru shook her head, half-surprised and half-dismayed. "Sounds like someone's on the rebound pretty fast, huh?"

Harrison shook his head and ran a hand through his messy, dirty blonde hair. "Just trying not to think about it, Tru."

"Well, I really need your help on this one Harry," Tru said. "Meet me at the morgue in twenty minutes."

"But--"

"No buts. I mean it."

Tru grabbed her jacket and opened her apartment door, only to find Jack Harper standing in the doorway.

Tru glared at him.

"Really didn't mean to intrude on your morning or anything, but I couldn't help and stop by for a little fireside chat." He gestured past Tru to her apartment's roomy interior. "Nice place you got in there. It's not a bad one either especially for a struggling pre-med student like yourself."

"Just get to the point, Jack."

He grinned at her. "All I'm asking you to do is to not meddle with the natural order. There are consequences, Tru. The fabric of the universe is something very delicate. And if you try and alter that—well that seems to be your specialty, now doesn't it?"

"I'm not giving up this fight. I'm not going to lose this one, Jack."

Without another word, Tru slammed the door behind her and headed off to the morgue, leaving Jack behind as he watched her storm off.

Jack smiled smugly to himself. "I guess we'll see."

Just minutes later, Tru entered the city morgue; it was that other place which she almost called home. Almost. Although sometimes that was the last word that came to mind. How could she call it home? It was just so morbid and so full of…. Death.

It seemed like half her life was spent there thinking, daydreaming, sleeping, and grieving. Grieving. That word seemed to come up a lot lately. She worked in a morgue after all. Surrounded by suffering. Surrounded by pain. Surrounded by death. There was that word again. Death. And Death showed itself in many ways. Imminent death. Needless, stupid death. It just wasn't fair……

"Alright Tru, this better be good. I had to give Kelsey some bogus reason why I couldn't make it to breakfast this morning," Harrison's remark brought Tru out of her daydream. She hadn't even realized she was daydreaming. It was unusual for Tru's mind to wander, especially at a time like this. Especially with another life at stake.

Tru smiled at her little brother. "So, then, I guess that means it's not worth repeating?"

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it all up," Harrison replied. "So what's the big emergency?"

"Well, you remember Sabrina Williamson, don't you?"

"Oh, you mean the hot little gymnast with the cute ass in the tight black leotards?"

"Uh-huh." Tru nodded. "Her sister—or at least I think it's her sister—asked for my help."

"Whoa, whoa. You do know that that area is your forte. Talking to dead people doesn't exactly fit in my job description."

Tru raised a skeptical eyebrow at her little brother. "And what exactly _is _your job description, Harry?"

Harrison chuckled nervously, turning away from Tru and ran a hand through his hair once more.

A pause.

"That's what I thought," Tru said sharply. "So what I've been trying to tell you is that Sabrina's sister, Caitlyn, lives in your apartment complex. She was found dead in her apartment. Fortunately, someone heard the gunshot and called for help but the killer got away."

"And you want me to help you, how?"

Just as Tru was beginning to explain to Harrison how he could help her, Davis walked in.

"Morning, Morgue Man," Harrison greeted. "What brings you to this side of the slab so early in the morning?"

"Because I—uh—I work here, Harrison," Davis said.

"I know that!"

Davis looked over at Tru, who gave him a '_you'll have to forgive my brother' _look.

"It's a rewind day, Davis," said Tru.

She then told him about the incident at Harrison's apartment complex involving the murder of Caitlyn.

"What else do you know about the victim?" Davis asked.

Tru shrugged. "Not much."

Still looking at Davis, she said, "Let's get to work."

The black limo pulled up to the side of the curb. A man in a long, black leather coat opened the door and slipped inside.

"You know, it would've been nice to meet someplace a little more people-friendly. A bar… Or maybe a strip joint?"

The older man looked at the man in the black coat. "What has my daughter been up to now?"

"It's nice to see you again, Richard."

Richard Davies looked sternly into the dark eyes of Jack Harper.

"You were right. She is a tough one."

"But you know what you have to do," Richard said. "You succeeded last time."

A half-smile crept across Jack's face. "And I'm always up for another challenge."

With that, Jack opened the door of limo and got out, but not before Richard acknowledged him with a sharp nod.

_I can't let that bitch interfere with the natural order. That's not how it should be._

A plan began to form in his mind as he walked all alone in the pouring rain.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I know this chapter was a little slow, but I'm still not exactly sure where this story is going yet. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas on what you would like to see, please let me know in your review! I'll see if I can artfully weave them into my story. Also, I'm sorry about the lack of updates. School, my birthday and the holiday season have kept me quite busy. I will try and update ASAP as soon as this episode of writer's block decides to pass! LOL. Another big thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! I'm really glad you like the sequel and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

More soon…. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2005


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

"So let me get this straight," Harrison said, as Harrison, Davis, and Tru gathered inside Davis's office. "This Caitlyn chick lives in _my _apartment complex?"

"Yes, Harry," Tru said. Her patience seemed to be waning. "We've already been through this. You mean to tell me you don't even know your own neighbors?"

"I think I've seen her around the neighborhood. But you know, Tru, staying home all day vegging in my apartment isn't exactly the most kosher use of my time."

Tru rolled her eyes. "And like spending all day at the races is?"

"Aww, c'mon Tru!" Harrison objected. "I've scored myself some quick cash playing the ponies!"

"Only to lose it all again, and then come running to me for money when you want to take your new girlfriend out to a fancy dinner," Tru returned.

"I thought chicks digged those fancy restaurants!"

"Not when they find out that their date's sister is the one who has a payday," Tru replied.

Tru was growing increasingly frustrated now. "Look, Harry, we'll talk about this later. I really don't have the time for this right now."

Tru turned her attention to Davis, who was doing an Internet search for Caitlyn on his computer.

"Davis, did you find anything else about Caitlyn?"

"Just give me a few more minutes."

A few minutes turned out to be another half an hour. Davis and Tru worked together, while Harrison paced up and down in Davis's office. Then, finally, he entered the room adjacent to Davis's office and lay down on the worn couch.

He really wanted to help them. He really did. But they didn't need his help… At least not now… Not anymore.

"Bingo," Davis finally said. "I think this is it."

Tru peered over his shoulder to look at his findings.

"Caitlyn Williamson is a high school counselor and academic advisor at Crestview High," Davis said. "So at least you have a home address and a job description. That's good, right?"

"It's not enough, Davis," Tru said, worry becoming more and more evident in her voice.

Davis looked up at Tru. He knew what she meant. It meant she had to find Caitlyn and save her, but that part was never easy. Especially now with Jack around to thwart her every move. One slight misstep on Tru's part could prove fatal and her rewind day could end in bitter tragedy.

She knew she couldn't let that happen. Not now. Not this time around.

"You're doing the best you can, Tru. That's all you can do. That's all—..."

"But it's not enough! It just never seems like enough! Look what happened to me last time. I try and save someone's life and I end up suffering from some pretty nasty repercussions. And I have a scar to prove it!"

Tru lifted up the sleeve of her shirt to reveal the shoulder which had been cruelly bitten by the savage bullet.

"It's healing, Tru," Davis gently reminded his co-worker, as he watched her flinch in pain from the temporary spasms that coursed through her shoulder. "Just give it some more time."

The pain. It was the pain. The pain had once again inadvertently triggered the memories as she watched the bullet dance mercilessly towards her in her mind's eye. And then, in a matter of seconds, it was gone…

"Time! That's just it. There isn't enough time! Davis, what I can do…." Tru began. "It's not a calling. It's more like a curse. Every day, Davis. Every day I'm forced to come to terms with this _thing_ that I do. Rewind day or not, every day—I'm cursed."

After some encouragement and a morale boost from Davis, Tru set off to Crestview High. But not before waking her brother and practically begging him to stay out of trouble. Yeah, like that would ever happen…

It was about a half and hour past noon when Tru arrived at the high school. She parked her car, got out and inquired a young student about the location of the main office. The young student pointed Tru in the right direction and then hurriedly disappeared into the crowd of her fellow peers.

Tru entered the front office and walked up to the receptionist's desk, as the receptionist looked up at Tru with her dazzling blue eyes.

"Can I help you?"

"I hope so," Tru said. "I'm looking for Caitlyn Williamson. I'm an old friend of her sister's and I really need to talk to her."

"She's actually just leaving for lunch, but you still might be able to catch her on her way out," the receptionist replied, as she made a gesture to the hallway on her right. "Go through this hallway and her office is two doors down on your left."

Tru gave the receptionist a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Tru walked down the long hallway, promptly stopping at the entrance that was two doors down on her left.

There was a sign posted on the door that read:

CAITYLN WILLIAMSON

HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR/ACADEMIC ADVISOR

OFFICE HOURS: 8 AM TO 3 PM

The door with the sign was closed and Tru could hear voices coming from inside the room. She knew Caitlyn was finishing up with a student and would be taking her lunch break shortly.

"But Jenni, you have to tell him. He has to understand. This is serious." Caitlyn Williamson sat poised at her desk talking to the young student seated directly across from her.

The girl, Jenni, sobbed. "No, I—I don't think he'll understand. Maybe before. But not now. Not after what's happened."

"Then I'll talk to him. It's lunchtime now. You should go to lunch. I'll take care of it, okay?"

Jenni had stopped crying and regained her composure. She gathered her sweater and big brown backpack. "Okay," she said finally. With that, she left the office.

Tru watched as a young girl, who couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen, leave Caitlyn's office and walk down the hallway. She was a pretty girl: medium height and thin with short wavy black hair and dark brown eyes. Tru saw sadness in the girl's eyes and it was obvious that she had been crying only moments before.

Tru waited a moment before appearing in the doorway of Caitlyn's office.

"Can I help you?" Caitlyn asked.

Tru entered Caitlyn's office and looked down at the giant mass of papers neatly stacked on her desk. She saw a file open in front of Caitlyn and could barely make out the name that read: Jenni Parker. It looked like it was time to change her cover story. How much to change it, Tru didn't know. That part was always hard to gauge.

"Hi, my name is Tru Davies. I'm a friend of Jenni's and I was just really starting to worry about her."

"Oh, she just left. I can have the receptionist call her up to the front desk if you would like."

"Actually," Tru said. "I was hoping you would help me. We've always been pretty tight and now it seems like she's changed suddenly. I just moved back into town and she hasn't answered my phone calls. I've even seen her around town. She just doesn't seem like herself and I'm really concerned. It's like she's become a completely different person. And I think she may be trying to hurt herself."

Caitlyn gave Tru a sympathetic smile and sighed. "Well, Tru, you're not the only one who's noticed this."

She began to gather her belongings along with her jacket, which she draped over one arm whilst slinging a black purse over her shoulder. "I'm actually heading out to lunch right now. Why don't you join me and we can discuss this further?"

"Sure," Tru replied, relieved that her cover story seemed to have worked. "There's a diner a few blocks away that isn't too bad. I go there with my brother all the time."

"Sounds good to me."

The rain had died down for the moment, but the weather was still crappy. The frigid air coupled with a slight wind caused Tru to shudder from the coldness around her. She entered the diner, relieved to find it pleasingly warm and toasty inside.

A nice hot cup of coffee would definitely be on the top of her list of comforts right now.

She saw Caitlyn settling herself in a booth and rushed over to join her.

Caitlyn had her menu open and was looking at the vast array of lunch specials, eager to order some food. "So, what do you recommend?" she asked Tru.

"The tuna melt is pretty good," Tru replied, as the waitress poured some coffee into the two cups that were placed on their table.

Tru sipped the coffee gingerly, letting the heat of the drink warm her body.

Then, Tru and Caitlyn ordered their food.

"So, I'm right about Jenni," Tru said.

Caitlyn nodded in confirmation. "Yes, you are. She's definitely not herself."

"Has she told you why?" Tru asked, trying her hardest to sound merely concerned and not too pushy.

"Yes," Caitlyn said. She took a deep breath and paused for a moment.

"She's pregnant."

**Author's Note: **Wow, can't believe I finally updated! Sorry guys, the writer's block was horrible! School has still kept me busy as well. I'm in my final semester of my senior year of high school, therefore, being very busy with homework and life in general. I hope you liked this chapter. I felt that it was a little slow again, but I think now the pace of the story and suspense will start picking up. Thank you all for your patience. I greatly appreciate it! Anther thanks for the wonderful reviews. I always love receiving feedback on my work. A special thanks to Turtle2 for the advice and encouragement! I'm definitely thinking along those lines! PLEASE REVIEW THIS CHAPTER!

Hopefully, I will be able to update sooner:)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Tru felt the blood drain from her face. "Oh my God…"

"I know," Caitlyn said; a look of dismay now spread across her beautiful features. "Hard to believe, isn't it?"

Tru swallowed hard and a lump began to form in her throat. She didn't even know this girl and yet she couldn't conceal the pangs of sympathy she felt for the teenager.

"Then again," Caitlyn continued. "Seeing the way our world is today, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. I've dealt with these types of situations before. And each time my job never gets easier…it always gets harder."

Tru gave Caitlyn the best sympathetic smile she could possibly muster. It was hard for her though. This was _exactly _how Tru was feeling. _Exactly._

"I understand," Tru said slowly, genuinely.

Together, the two women sat; stillness seemed to have momentarily enveloped them.

It was Tru who finally shattered the silence. "So what are you going to do?"

Caitlyn drew a deep breath. "I have to talk to her brother, Taylor. It's the only way."

From the look on Caitlyn's face when she had mentioned Jenni's brother, Tru knew that something between the siblings wasn't right. She wasn't sure what…Tru just knew. From Caitlyn's tone, she figured that Taylor had absolutely no idea Jenni was pregnant.

"Could Taylor get her professional help?" Tru asked.

"I hope so, but I just don't know. After their parent's death a year ago, both of them had a hard time coping with the repercussions. Taylor is taking care of Jenni right now. I'm sure you must have noticed the change in them."

"Actually, I had no idea. I literally just moved back into town a few weeks ago and I've only seen Jenni around the neighborhood. How has Taylor's relationship been with Jenni since their parent's death?"

"That's exactly what I'm worried about. It seemed fine at first, but now everything seems to be falling apart. Jenni's worried that Taylor won't handle the information well. _That's _why I have to talk to him. Jenni's boyfriend left her when he found out she was pregnant; it's typical though, especially amongst teens."

"I don't think Jenni is the only one to worry about. What happens if Taylor finds out about Jenni's pregnancy and threatens you? Aren't you worried about that?" Tru asked.

Caitlyn quickly glanced at her watch. Almost an hour and half had gone by and it was nearing 2:00. "I appreciate your concern, Tru. I really do. But I have to do this for Jenni. I only want the best for her and I don't want to be reading about a teen suicide in tomorrow's paper."

Caitlyn began to gather her belongings once more. "It was really nice to meet you and I promise to do everything I can to help her. It's my job; it's what I do. I help people in crisis."

Caitlyn paid for her meal and walked out the door. The rain began to fall, staining the dirty pavement below.

Tru only watched her leave and half-wondered why she wasn't bounding out the door and following her back to the high school. _So do I. _Tru thought. _So do I._

Jenni stepped off of the curb and entered the school parking lot, heading towards her car. The silver paint on the Mazda glowed brightly in the sunlight overhead.

"Nice car," the voice coming from behind her said.

Jenni turned towards the direction of the masculine voice. "Thanks, my parents bought it for me for my 16th birthday last year. Do I know you or…" Her voice trailed off.

"Not exactly," the man said. "I knew your brother in high school. We used to play basketball together after school."

_Too bad I don't remember him. He's...kind of cute!_ "Oh, really? I don't--." Jenni faltered.

Jack could tell she was nervous around him. Her apprehension and uncertainty seemed almost tangible; it was almost as if it could be cut through with a knife, like slicing a slab of butter.

"It's okay. I really wasn't expecting you to remember me. Anyways, my step-sister is going to enroll here and I was just going to drop off some forms for her. But before I forget, I recently moved into your neighborhood and I think I received some of your mail. So I went to drop it off at your house this morning."

He chuckled. "I think I got some mail about some pregnancy test or something. Weird, huh?"

_Oh crap._ "It was nice to meet you, but I—um—gotta go." The words seemed to be forced out of Jenni's mouth. The color had drained from her face; her eyes seemed to glow with augmenting anxiety and fear.

"Likewise," he smiled.

With that, Jenni climbed into her car, slammed the door, revved up the engine and sped ferociously out of the parking lot.

_Kids these days._ Jack Harper shook his head in dismay.

The situation didn't look so bright over on Tru's end. As she tried to organize the information in her mind, she realized that pieces of the puzzle were still missing. The shrill ringing of her cell phone disrupted her thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," said the voice on the other end of the line. "How are things going? Have you found anything that might help you to solve Caitlyn's murder?"

"Well, I think there's one potential suspect. I just don't know how exactly the murder will play out from here. There's a girl named Jenni who's one of Caitlyn's students at the high school. I guess Jenni must go into Caitlyn's office a lot because it seems she really opens up to Caitlyn about her personal life. Jenni recently found out she was pregnant, her boyfriend dumped her because of it and now she's stuck in a precarious situation that she refuses to tell her brother about for some reason."

"Anything I can do to help?" Davis asked hopefully, always ready to help his best employee.

"I need you to look up the address for Jenni and Taylor Parker. They're brother and sister and Taylor has been Jenni's legal guardian. Since Jenni hasn't told Taylor about the pregnancy, then Taylor must have seen the results of her test somehow."

"But how would Jenni know about her test results sooner if they weren't sent home yet or she wasn't contacted?"

"I think Jenni must have gone back to the hospital where she had the test and seen the results early. And maybe she forgot they would be sent to her house…or unless they had to be because she's still a minor and could not request otherwise. And they could do that without her personal consent; I think it's done strictly as a protective measure since her brother is still the one who's solely responsible for her well-being."

"And where does Caitlyn fit into all of this?" Davis asked.

"That's what I'm still trying to figure out," Tru said. "I think Taylor killed Caitlyn purely out of rage and jealousy that he was never told anything, but I'm still not sure. It's hard to set his motives into stone until I have all of my facts straight. And Caitlyn said she'd be calling Taylor right about now and tell him about Jenni."

"Right," Davis replied. "I found you the address, Tru."

"You rock. Thanks, D." And with that, Tru ran out of the restaurant, heading in the direction of her car.

The next stop was Jenni's house. She just prayed she got there before it was too late and the murder was already underway.

**Author's Note: **WOW, it's been a long time since I last updated! I thank all of you, my reviewers, for all of your support and patience in this tedious process. The school year is just winding down for me, so hopefully I will have more time to update during the summer. Plus, I just graduated from high school and will be heading off to college in August (UC Berkeley); therefore, I'm hoping to get this story finished before then. Thanks again, everybody, and I hope to see you all the next time I update!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"When were you going to tell me!" Taylor Parker's voice seemed to reverberate off of the walls of the house as Jenni entered.

"A-about w-what?" Jenni asked nervously, as her big brother came storming towards her.

"About _this_?" Taylor said angrily, holding up what obviously seemed to be the dire results of her pregnancy test. "You never told me you were sleeping with him! You -…"

"Taylor, you don't understand! I -…"

"Like hell I don't! A little while ago, I got a phone call from your guidance counselor. And she tells me the same thing! What the hell do you think you're getting at by doing this! You – you're a filthy whore!"

"NO! No, - I just – I didn't know how to tell you. I was – I was scared of what you would think," she gulped nervously, her voice trembling. "Of what you might do…" her voice trailed off and she glanced at the tile flooring apprehensively.

"Oh, I'll show you what I'm going to do!" Taylor shouted; the augmenting anger building up inside of him was just like a time bomb waiting to explode. And, like a bomb, it was only a matter of when…the hours…the minutes…the seconds…_everything_ mattered now.

Taylor went into another room and unlocked a drawer…

He returned to face Jenni, a firm grip on a gun in his left hand.

Jenni paled at the sight of the gun in her brother's hand. "My God," she breathed. "Taylor, why are you doing this!" But Taylor paid no attention to his sister and walked past her and out the still-open front door.

"Stay out of this, Jenni," he said firmly, his back still toward her. "It's out of your hands now."

"NO!" Jenni screamed. Her house key was in her pocket as she slammed the door behind her. She ran out just in time to see Taylor's beat up Buick speed away, leaving nothing but dark tire tracks behind.

Just then, a bright red car pulled up alongside the curb and slowed to a stop. Tru got out of her car to find a horror-stricken Jenni standing in her driveway.

"Jenni! I don't have much time to explain, but I'm here to help you! Where's Taylor? Did he hurt you?"

"No, he -…wait. I've seen you before. You were at my school earlier today, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Tru said hurriedly. "I'm sort of like Caitlyn's new assistant and she had to fill me in on some of her cases she sees. And since yours seems to be pretty specialized, I guess it's why she told me about you. And we were both worried that Taylor was going to hurt you when he found out about your pregnancy. That's why I came. That's why I'm here."

"Taylor just left," Jenni replied, her voice shaking and trembling even more. "I think he's going to try and kill her."

"Come with me," Tru said though it sounded more like a demand than just a general statement. "It looks like we're going there too."

Jenni got into the passenger seat of Tru's car and Tru began to drive away from the house.

"How does he know where she lives?" Tru asked, suddenly realizing she had to pretend she didn't know where Caitlyn lived. From what she had gathered before her day rewound, Tru remembered that Caitlyn lived in the same apartment complex as her brother. But, in this case, she had to play dumb. It was the only way.

"I used to go over there with him for some private counseling sessions – right after our parent's death; it was just so hard for both of us to deal, you know?"

Tru nodded slightly. "Yeah," she said slowly. "I understand."

Images of her mother glowed brightly in her mind. A gentle blend of light colors: pink, yellow and orange. The good memories: her first ride on the carousel, her 5th birthday party and spending Christmas in the mountains.

She felt tears well up in her eyes as the reminiscence of it suddenly became crystal clear like looking into a sparkling pool of water on a beautiful sunlit day.

But she resisted and held back the tears. She couldn't start crying…not now. She willed herself to be strong, to stay strong.

She flipped open her phone to call Harrison. This time around she was determined to win.

Her mother's words echoed loud and clear._ You can't let him win…_

There was a hard knock that pounded on her door.

Caitlyn went to answer it, surprised to find Taylor standing in her doorway.

"Taylor, I wasn't expecting you! Is something wrong? Is Jenni alright?" Sincere concern was clearly evident in Caitlyn's tone.

"Jenni's fine," he bit off. "I just wanted a word with you."

"Of course! Please come in!" Caitlyn gestured, as Taylor walked inside and the door shut behind them…

Tru and Jenni arrived at Caitlyn's apartment, both running swiftly up the many flights of stairs. They almost seemed endless and when they arrived at her level they were both panting and out of breath.

They had just rounded a corner as her apartment was on the other side when an all-too familiar voice spoke up behind them.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the White Hats. Come to save the day, I suppose?"

Tru and Jenni turned to face Jack and Tru couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. "Is that the best you can do now?"

Jack chuckled. "Ah, you caught me, Tru. It might not be, but why argue about it now? You have a life to save, don't you?"

"Yeah," Tru sneered. "And that means I don't have to stand here and listen to you bitch about it either. So cut the crap, Jack."

She turned to Jenni who stood there unmoving as she watched the heated exchange between them. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Fine!" Jack called after them. "Just don't say I didn't warn you!"

"It's that one!" Jenni told Tru, pointing to where the numbers 425 were displayed ostentatiously to a door on their left.

Tru quickly twisted the knob, praying it wasn't locked.

_Thank God._ She thought as the door gave way and the two girls barged in just in time to see Taylor holding a gun to Caitlyn. Caitlyn screamed, not knowing what to do as the gun pointed directly and almost menacingly at her chest.

"OH MY GOD! TAYLOR, NO!" Jenni shrieked.

Taylor turned firm grip remained on both the gun and on Caitlyn. "Jenni, what the hell – wait, who the hell are you!" Taylor spat, suddenly turning his attention toward Tru.

"I met Caitlyn at Jenni's school. Listen to me, Taylor. Put the gun down. You don't know what you're doing!"

He roughly let go of Caitlyn and moved towards Tru as he spoke.

"Know what I'm doing! Know what I'm doing! How can you say that? Jenni's pregnant and I just find out about this _now_?"

"But that doesn't mean you have to kill her for it. That's not the way to go!"

Taylor suddenly had Tru in his grip which remained unyielding. She struggled as he spoke again. "Thank you for telling me what I need and what I don't."

And with that, he pushed Tru hard as if he was trying to get her out of the way. She fell to the floor, her head colliding with something hard as darkness hungrily consumed her.

Bright flashing lights greeted Tru as her eyes slowly fluttered open, the flashing lights became flashes of bright colors and they seemed to swirl around her as if she were caught in the eye of a tornado or violent storm.

And there was a loud cacophony that seemed to be humming noisily; it was getting closer…and closer. It sounded so much like…in fact _exactly_ like…

_Sirens!_

Suddenly, she felt as if she was flying. It was then she realized that she was in a stretcher and it was being carefully lifted into a waiting ambulance with sirens blaring noisily.

Her head was throbbing uncontrollably and pain seared through her skull as if it had caught on fire. So much pain and so hard to fight back the tears that could inevitably come pouring down her face.

Tru's mind began racing ferociously. _Where am I? What's going on? Oh my God…_

"Harrison!" she suddenly cried out impulsively.

"Miss, you need to stay calm, okay?" a soft female voice said somewhere off in the distance. Tru still wasn't completely awake so she couldn't find the exact location of the voice that spoke to her.

"I'm right here, Tru," a more familiar voice said, answering her frightened plea. "It's all right. You're going to be okay. Just hang in there…" The voice seemed to be slowly drifting away…farther and farther away…

"Harrison!" Tru cried out again, fighting to get up as to find the whereabouts of her brother's voice.

"Miss, you need to calm down. Just lay back down, alright?" the same female voice surfaced again, seeming closer than before. That voice that she heard said something to someone else who nodded and handed her something though Tru couldn't quite make out what it was.

"This will help calm you down," the voice said again. "Everything's going to be alright now. Everything's going to be…" Suddenly, it seemed as if that voice too was floating away…farther and farther away…

Something sharp pierced the bare white of her right arm and a warm tingling sensation instantly began flowing through her body, embracing her in its warmth and pleasantness. She readily welcomed the feeling with ease as something about it made her feel at peace, something she hadn't felt in a long time. She found herself easily caving into this…this feeling. Her eyelids slowly became heavier and heavier…and then there was nothing. No more words; no more sounds. Just nothing…

**Author's Note: **This was originally supposed to be the last chapter, but I felt that it was getting too long and that I needed to break it up a bit. Thanks to all who have reviewed thus far and keep 'em coming, pretty please! Hopefully, the next chapter will be along waaay sooner than this one as it is my goal to have this story completed by next weekend. So please review and tell me what you think so far:)

A special note to Miss Thang: Yes, you do get commission for inspiring my story, but no sex scenes! Or at least not what you're thinking…winks


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Welcome to the grand finale! Please note that I meant to put the first part of this story in italics…you'll see! Ah, the big question: Is Tru going to die? Well, read and find out! Notes to some reviewers:

Turtle2: More! You want more! LOL. And here it is! Hope you like it.

Grlnblack: As much of a Tru/Jack shipper as I am, doing that would disrupt the show's continuity as I am trying to keep in line with it as much as possible. But that's what my one-shot fics are for, right?

Ms. Thang: NO! NO! NO! AND NO! Although you do get commission for inspiring my story, that doesn't mean you get to have love/sex scenes with Jason Priestley. In your dreams, girlfriend! Hehe…but you already know what I think about you and Jason! Hehe…Love ya sooo much! Hugs!

**Chapter Six**

_Tru found herself back in the city morgue, looking at her mother's body. Her mother's head was still facing her. "You can't let him win," her mother's voice said in a hushed whisper. _

"_You already told me that, Mom," said Tru. "And I didn't, I didn't let him – wait, I don't – I don't remember! What if - …"_

"_No, you can't," her mother cut in. "You -…"_

_Suddenly, she felt as if she were reliving a day as she felt the familiar sensation of it come rushing at her. She closed her eyes…_

_When she opened them she didn't find herself in the comfort of her own bed in her cozy apartment as she had expected. She found herself back in her old house – the very same house she had lived in 10 years ago when she was only 12 years old. _

_Almost instantly, Tru looked down at herself. What was this? Was she really imagining this? Was this another one of her freakish dreams?_

_Nothing about her physical appearance had changed. She was still the same 22 year old Tru Davies. But emotionally, something about her had changed. Her thoughts, feelings, memories…her calling helped her grow emotionally strong enough to develop a thick skin to whatever blocked her path to her imminent success. _

_Tru was standing in the middle of the kitchen. A calendar was on the refrigerator and Tru couldn't help but be curious as to what day it was. She stared wide-eyed at the date on the kitchen calendar: it was the day before her mother's death in 1993._

_What am I doing here? She wondered. _

_Some faint humming was coming from the room adjacent to the kitchen. She headed over as to find the exact whereabouts of where and who the sound was coming from._

_Tru gasped in surprise at what she saw in front of her. Her mother sat in a rocking chair in their living room, rocking back and forth to the soft rhythm of her own melodic lullaby writing in a diary that lay across her lap. _

_Elise Davies looked up and smiled angelically at her daughter. "Honey, my how you've grown."_

"_Mom?" Tru's voice quavered as she spoke. "What's going on? What are you trying to tell me? I don't understand."_

_Elise put down her diary stood up and walked up to her daughter. "Of course you don't, baby. You still have so much to learn. And so much more room to grow."_

"_M-mom, it's getting too hard. My calling, mom. I feel – I'm cursed, Mom. I can't do this anymore."_

"_That's not how I raised you, Tru. You're a fighter. Like I am."_

"_Like you were," Tru slowly corrected. _

"_Like I am," she repeated. "I'll always be with you, Tru. Like I am right now. Right here." Elise put her hand gently on Tru's heart and smiled sweetly. "If you ever need me, that's where I'll be. It's where I've always been. Now you know where to look." _

_She brought her hand up to gently touch her daughter's face; her eyes seemed to memorize every one of her daughter's features. _

_Suddenly, it seemed as if Tru's mother was drifting away, her voice seemed to float on air. "This time around…you can't let him win…"_

"I think she's finally coming out of it. Hey, D-man, she's finally coming out of it. She's waking up," Harrison said, breathing a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank God," Davis said. "Tru? Tru? Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

"Mom…" she mumbled drowsily. "MOM, NO!"

And she woke with a gentle start; her eyes began blinking rapidly as she tried her hardest to focus on the two figures looming over her. First she recognized the smell, then the sight and it was then she realized where she was – the hospital…again.

"Mom? Since when do I look like Mom?" Tru heard the unmistakable voice of her little brother before her eyes focused enough so she could she him standing over her. Fear was undoubtedly etched in his face and now he looked relieved though still slightly apprehensive as he looked down at his sister.

"You're not Mom," she said slowly.

"Gee, I should hope not!"

Tru smiled weakly and looked over to the other figure standing on the opposite side of her hospital bed.

"Hey, D," she said, smiling weakly at her boss.

"Hey, Tru, how do you feel?" Davis asked; his sweaty palms tightly clenched on the railings of Tru's hospital bed.

"Like someone dropped an anvil on top of my head while the side of my face feels like it's on fire," Tru said, with as much characterized enthusiasm she could possibly muster. "But on the flipside, I feel like a million dollars."

"You're on the highest dosage of painkillers the doctors could possibly give you," Davis informed her.

"Good to know."

Tru shifted uncomfortably on the hospital bed mattress. "I guess hospital visits are starting to become like a ritual for me or something, huh?"

Davis and Harrison looked at Tru and then exchanged uncomfortable glances at one another whilst shifting on the balls of their feet.

Tru swallowed hard before adding, "So what happened to me back there? The last thing I remember was falling down and then seeing bright lights, hearing voices…"

"Well, you called me earlier when you were in the car with Jenni and told me to be on the lookout for anything suspicious back at my complex. So I was walking up the stairs when I suddenly hear screaming and yelling, so I headed in the direction of the commotion, whipped out my cell phone and called the cops. They arrived, busted into Caitlyn's apartment, arrested Taylor and pressed jail and attempted murder charges, called up an ambulance for you and that's how it all went down in the end," Harrison said.

Tru beamed at her brother. "Thank you, Harrison – for saving my life…again."

Harrison shrugged it off nonchalantly, "Aw, it was nothing. Nothing you wouldn't have done for me anyway." Harrison smiled back at Tru as they both seemed to become momentarily lost in reverie; their own memories of the past: Tru saving Harrison from an untimely death at the hands of a crazed killer thanks in part to Jack's clever manipulations, and Harrison saving Tru from imminent death when she had been shot by Sabrina's gymnastics coach.

"So how long have I been here this time around?" Tru questioned.

"About three days," Davis hastily said.

Tru paled and it seemed for a moment as if she were about to vomit. "_What?_" her voice rose in utter disbelief.

"Yeah, um, when you were in the ambulance they couldn't seem to calm you down enough so they gave you a sedative. I talked to the cops and they said it looked like Taylor knocked you down pretty hard so when you woke up in the ambulance they thought the sedative would be best for you to help calm you down and to give your body some rest and its own time to heal…" Davis's voice began to trail off.

"There's a catch, isn't there?"

"Yeah, Tru, um -…"

"C'mon, D. I'm a big girl, what happened?"

Davis began again. "Well, when you got here, they cleaned up the gash on the side of your head. A few hours later, you still didn't wake up because you were given too much sedative and we thought you might've gone into a drug-induced coma."

"Did I…"

"No, you didn't die," Davis replied. "We just weren't sure how long it'd be until you woke up that's all."

Tru looked away from Davis, staring down at the hospital blankets as she tried her best to take it all in.

"I know it's a lot," Davis said, trying his best to console her.

"I saw Mom," Tru said suddenly. "In my dream or – I'm not even sure if it was a dream…it felt so real. Like she was there. Like she was right there with me and she always has been. I just didn't know where to look before…and now I know. Now I finally know. I finally know that Mom is always with me and that she will rest in peace now…and forever." She looked at both Davis and Harrison, searching their faces and watching their every reaction to her poignant words. Harrison and Tru shared another brief moment; it was one of silence, but it was also one of deep meaning that no one but them could ever be able to understand. Tru was the first one to break it off, breaking the steady eye contact she held with her brother.

She suddenly looked up at both of them wide-eyed. "But what about Caitlyn and Jenni? What happened to them? Are they -…"

"Fine," a familiar female voice cut in. "May we?" Caitlyn asked as her and Jenni stood in the doorway.

Tru smiled. "Yeah, come on in."

Caitlyn and Jenni walked into Tru's room, each taking a seat on opposite sides of Tru's bed.

"How do you feel?" Caitlyn asked.

"Not that great, but I'll be okay. What about you guys?"

Caitlyn and Jenni looked at each other briefly and Caitlyn was the first to speak. "You saved my life. I don't know how to thank you, if it hadn't been for you I would've -…" her voice trailed off.

"I know," Tru said. "But you're still here. And that's all that matters, right?"

Caitlyn smiled.

Then Jenni leaned forward and embraced Tru in a warm hug. "Thank you, Tru." She paused slightly before taking a deep breath. "I've decided the best thing to do is to get an abortion. My aunt's going to sign the paperwork and then I'm going up there to live with her for the remainder of the school year and until I graduate high school and go to college."

"Good for you," Tru replied. "I'm glad to hear that, Jenni. It may not seem like it now, but you'll eventually see that you made the right decision in all of this. Best of luck to you."

Jenni smiled back at Tru as a brief moment of silence seemed to envelop the room.

Tru was the first to penetrate through the silence. "Hey, is it okay with everyone that I talk with Caitlyn alone for awhile?"

The others looked around the room and nodded in agreement, getting up from their seats and leaving Tru and Caitlyn alone in Tru's hospital room as the rain began to come splashing and splattering onto the windows, eventually landing on the grimy pavement below.

"Oh, but Harrison?" Tru called after her brother. "I need you to do me another favor."

"Is something wrong?" Caitlyn asked, once she was sure everyone had left.

"Well, not exactly," Tru said, not knowing quite how to form the words for what she wanted to say. "Caitlyn, I -…"

"Yes?"

Tru drew in a deep breath. "I knew your sister, Sabrina. I was there the night she died – I saw Austin strangle her and then he pulled out a gun and shot me in the shoulder." She lifted up the one sleeve of her hospital gown to reveal the scar left by the malicious bullet.

"Oh my God, I – I had no idea," Caitlyn replied, her expression was beyond that of disbelief or shock. Then a sudden realization seemed to dawn upon her. "That's why you know so much."

"Excuse me?" Tru asked, taken aback by what Caitlyn had said. "Know so much of what?"

"I can't quite explain it. It's like you know more than others know – you feel it like it's your own. You possess something so unique that others don't and it reflects on everyone you meet, even those who may never live to appreciate it fully because they were never given any time to."

Tru took a moment to reflect on Caitlyn's words. It sounded like a very in-depth analysis of her calling, something psychological and possibly even beyond a simple level of comprehension. But Tru could read between the lines.

From the expression on Caitlyn's face and what she had told Tru, she didn't know about Tru's calling. She couldn't possibly know. Yet on some level some part of her knew _something._ Even Tru didn't quite realize exactly what Caitlyn knew – she just knew.

"I have a job that's kind of like yours," Tru explained. "I help people, I guess you can say it's sort of like – a calling."

Caitlyn smiled as they had finally come to some sort of understanding with one another. "I understand."

Jack sat in the back corner of the almost deserted bar and slowly gulped his drink, seeming lost in thought.

"You were sloppy again today," Richard Davies told Jack as he pulled a bar stool up next to him.

"Not exactly the morale boost I was looking for," Jack replied.

"You let Fate get messed with again. You know the rules, Jack, and you sure as hell better know the damn consequences that come along with it."

"Thanks for the encouragement. I'll be sure to remember that next time I put your daughter in the hospital." Jack's sarcastic remark seemed to have struck a nerve in Richard though whether it was one of sympathy or guilt Jack was not too sure.

Richard then got up and proceeded to leave, but not before leaving Jack with a final comment. "I expect better from you next time."

They made eye contact and then Jack raised his glass in Richard's direction as if he were giving a toast.

"Yes, sir," he said firmly and with that, he watched Richard leave the bar obscured by the distant darkness of the night.

Only thirty minutes later, Jack left the bar heading back toward his car. On the front windows behind the windshield wipers of his car there was a note only slightly damp from the rain as it had stopped almost an hour before.

He picked it up and read:

JACK,

YOU WERE RIGHT ABOUT ONE THING. NOT EVERYTHING HAPPENS THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO. AT LEAST FOR THIS TIME AROUND.

TRU

Jack looked up into the night sky.

It was something that had brought them together like this. Something that made both of them fight on their respective sides and fight for what they wanted. Something that made them go to war with each other and fight to the very death. And they were still at war. The battle was still going strong; in fact, it was barely just beginning…

**Story Notes: **Remember the note Jack left for Tru in "Not Everything?" Yeah, now you're getting it…

**Author's Note: **OH MY GOD! I can't believe after eight long months I can finally say I have finished this story. It's been quite a ride and thank you all for reading! I can go off to college feeling satisfied and relieved now…hehe. Again for the last time, a big thank you to all of those who have reviewed. Your kind words and support all mean so much to me and they keep me motivated as to keep me writing more and better each time. You guys are simply the BEST! As always, please leave me a review, especially now that the story is finished and tell me what you thought of the grand finale! Hey – does anyone want to see a trilogy? I'll see what I can do…Anyone?


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